Rhyme
by xxCatharsis
Summary: The World Ends With You // There's not enough Beat love out there. So, I wrote a very short ficlet about Beat and Rhyme, specifically when he hears he's going to have a baby sister. Um, ignore discrepencies? And enjoy.


He hears he's going to have a little sibling from his parents. Of course, Beat is displeased. He hates the idea of having attention diverted from him and mulls around the house for nine straight months with a very bad attitude. Beat's father reprimands him, warns him to not cause strain on his mother. But what does Beat know? His father is in on the insidious scheme as well. He eyes his father reproachfully through the shadows of the black hat he wears. (Which he got for his birthday from an aunt. His parents were certainly not pleased! Even less with aforementioned aunt bought him those baggy threads.)

As the months wear on and Beat's mother gets bigger, Beat finds this all to be 'whack.' (A new word he heard on the television. Beat has no idea what it means yet.) He tries to soak attention away from his pregnant mother and onto him. However, Beat's plan fails and goes up in smoke, especially when he crashes his mother's baby shower. So maybe hiding in the well and accidently crushing a giant 120 pack of diapers wasn't the best idea. He got his point across, did he not?

All right, all right. So, what if Beat didn't? He came out triumphant even if his father took his most favorite skateboard away.

Beat goes through the weeks even more surly than before. He whines, he clings to his mother's legs, he does amazingly in school to keep the attention on him. His family coos over his mother's large stomach, patting on it and lavishing love on the little form writhing inside.

Beat has had it.

He knows what he'll do.

Beat decides he'll run away!

As Beat plans a clandestine meeting with his skull and cross bones teddy bears, he gathers only his most very favorite toys and clothes into his Tony Hawk Pro Skater backpack. He knows exactly how he'll steal his skateboard back as well. With a grin on his face, he writes out a letter in bright, friendly red crayon and feels proud of his handiwork and the backwards "e" since he thinks it's right.

Beat sneaks to the front door when it happens.

His mother goes into labor and his plans are scattered out the door and into the car. Beat's father picks him up, as well as his mother and vaults to the car, dodging traffic and dodging bad attitudes (Beat's in particular) and rushes through the doors of the hospital. It is now that Beat feels badly for having that little meeting with his teddies.

Other members of the family join Beat in the waiting room. Beat still finds this all whack. He sits in an oversized chair, almost denying the lollipops and hot chocolate offerings of the pretty nurses in immaculate scrubs who find him to be the cutest child ever. Beat takes the bribes and smiles goofily at them, clicking his little skull shoes together. At the moment, he forgets his plan and why he's here. Only the sweet little lollipop remains until his father bounds from the delivery room shouting those chorusing, faithful words of a proud father,

"It's a girl!"

Beat looks up, confused, but his aunts and uncles take him by the hand and each go into the room, one by one. He, of course, is the last one to go in. (Beat isn't, but he IS overreacting. Such is the nature of a demanding child.) When Beat is allowed into the room, he sees his sleeping mother and a little bundle of something in his father's arms. His father trusts him, not that Beat understands. When Beat's father crouches and unwraps the swaddling sheets overing the precious bundle, Beat's heart instantly melts and he feels as if he'll cry. He doesn't, of course. Crying is for girls, not big strong men like him!

The little girl wriggles in her fathers arms and almost begins to cry, herself. Beat instantly reaches out for her and his father hesitates. But, he relaxes, letting his son take the little girl in his arms. Beat holds her carefully. Awkwardly... but carefully. The little girl gives another little cry before almost opening her eyes and snuggling toward the warmth of Beat's chest.

Raimu, they say her name is.

But to Beat, she is simply Rhyme.

His baby sister. His Rhyme.

Beat holds her closely, protectively, forgetting about his plans to leave once more because he decides this little girl is going to need him. He can't give Rhyme up, even when his father insists. He loves her unconditionally, instantly.

After all, Rhyme is the melody that keeps the Beat going.


End file.
